The mother of slain high school student Lauren Astley cried on the witness stand today as she was asked to identify her daughter's ex-boyfriend, Nathaniel Fujita, as part of his murder trial.

Fujita, now 20, is charged with killing Astley in July 2011 shortly after she had broken up with him and 'humiliated him'.

Astley's mother, Mary Dunne, was one of the witnesses who testified on Thursday, talking about how in the months leading up to the killing, Fujita had changed from his outgoing former self into a withdrawn and aggressive.

Breaking down: Nathaniel Fujita, who was found guilty of first-degree murder today, broke down crying many times throughout the trial

She told of how she had to ask him to leave Astley's graduation party just weeks before the killing after he left her daughter in tears. Fujita had shown up drunk and became
upset when his ex-girlfriend refused to talk to him. He got so angry he
shoved a tent pole and almost knocked it over.

Victim: Phone records show that 18-year-old Lauren talked to Nathanial several times before going to meet him after she finished work at the local mall

'I told Nathaniel that he needed to settle down, he and Lauren were no longer dating, that this was her graduation party and she deserved to enjoy herself,' Mrs Dunne said.

He didn't pay attention to her order, however, and Mrs Dunne had to then call his mother and ask her to pick him up.

One of the most emotional moments in the tense trial came when- in keeping with standard court procedure- Mrs Dunne had to point out where Nathaniel was sitting in the courtroom.

'He's at the defendant's table in the middle seat with his head down,' she said, pointing to the former football player who was sobbing throughout her testimony.

Fujita, 20, is accused of luring Astley to his Massachusetts home on July 3, 2011, strangling her with a bungee chord and slashing her throat open - though his lawyers argue the murder took place in a fit of insane rage after they broke up.

Following Mrs Dunne's testimony, the prosecution put their case to rest, but the jury still has to wrigh all of the information they have heard about the manner in which Astley died.

Being strong: Mrs Dunne held back tears while she looked at a picture of her 'only daughter' when she took the stand on Thursday

Tough: Mrs Dunne has been a constant presence at the trial and has gotten predictably emotional

On Wednesday, the chief medical examiner testified that Lauren's killer left a four-and-a-half-inch-long 'gaping-wide wound' and then sliced her neck with a serrated knife numerous times.

'There were many incised wounds to the
neck. In certain areas, there were multiple, very close, almost
parallel incised wounds. There were what I would consider a lot of
them,' Dr Henry Nields said.

'I believe she was alive after the
ligature had been removed,' Nields said, suggesting Astley died slowly
over 'a matter of minutes' from a combination of slash wounds and
suffocation.

During the
testimony, Fujita, 20, lowered his head and appeared to weep, covering
his face. Later, his mom, Beth Fujita, sitting in a row behind her son,
sobbed uncontrollably.

Family: Nathaniel Fujita's parents sob and huddle together in court as their son bow his head in front of them while the medical examiner testifies about the murder of Lauren Astley

Accused: Nathaniel Fujita wept in court yesterday as a medical examiner testified that Lauren Astley was still alive after she was partially strangled and 'died slowly over a matter of minutes as her throat was being cut'

The pictures of the 18-year-old victim were so grisly, jurors were given a packet of photos to look at - rather than have them displayed on an overhead projector, as they have with other evidence.

According to the Boston Herald, Judge Peter M. Lauriat warned them not to be swayed by their impact: 'Your verdict must not in any way be influenced by the fact that these photos may be unpleasant and graphic.

'Mr Fujita is entitled to a verdict based solely on the evidence, and not one based on pity or sympathy for the deceased.'

The defense opened their side of the
case with the questioning of Fujita's aunt, who said that mental illness
runs in the family and that her nephew had slipped into a deep
depression after the break up.

They are trying to prove that Fujita suffered from a brief psychotic episode and killed Astley during that time.

Joyce Saba told the court that two of
Fujita’s great uncles suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. One uncle,
who Saba said had been a police officer, believed that the CIA was
listening to him through the television, Boston.comreported.

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At 12.58am on the night of July 3,
2011- the day of his girlfriend's murder- Fujita looked at a page
titled 'Does water remove fingerprints'.

According to The Boston Globe, he also joined the group 'have you
seen Lauren Astley?' and then he was still awake at 4.23am and looked at
two pictures of himself as he was posing shirtless in sports shorts.

Two of
Fujita’s great uncles, said Saba, suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.
One uncle, who Saba said had been a police officer, believed that the
CIA was listening to him through the television. Fujita’s younger sister
was hospitalized in a child psych unit in 2010, Saba testified. - See
more at:
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/wayland/2013/02/mental_illness_runs_in_nathani.html#sthash.DnRjui7p.dpuf

Two of
Fujita’s great uncles, said Saba, suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.
One uncle, who Saba said had been a police officer, believed that the
CIA was listening to him through the television. Fujita’s younger sister
was hospitalized in a child psych unit in 2010, Saba testified. - See
more at:
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/wayland/2013/02/mental_illness_runs_in_nathani.html#sthash.DnRjui7p.dpuf

Coroner: Massachusetts state medical examiner Henry Nields describes wounds to the neck of Lauren Astley and suggested she died slowly over a few minutes

Clothing: Prosecutor Lisa McGovern, left, shows Ariel Chates, 20, a Wayland High School friend of Lauren Astley, the dress that Chates loaned Astley that was later recovered from Astley's body

During cross examination, Fujita's
lawyer asked the forensic investigator about whether or not the
then-teen had searched the internet to find out information about
weapons, and he had not.

The point of the question was to help
bolster his case that Fujita was a teen with health issues who snapped
and had mental episode that lead him to kill his long-term girlfriend.

The prosecutor also showed the
bloodied and torn leopard print spaghetti strap dress that Astley was
wearing on the day she died. The site of the dress made her mother, Mary
Dunne, weep.

Earlier in the trial, Fujita's uncle and cousin were taken onto the stand.

The uncle, Phillip Saba, said that he
voted 'nothing unusual' in Fujita's demeanor at their family fourth of
July barbeque the day after the murder.

More damning evidence came from
his cousin Caroline Saba who said that he specifically said 'They're not
going to find a weapon there if that's what you mean.'

Fujita arranged to meet Astley, who had been texting and calling to check up on him, at his house on July 3, and police say he then killed her in the garage

Fujita was arrested after a search of
his family's home found blood in the garage and his clothing - which was
stained with blood - stashed in the attic.

Fujita was spotted driving shirtless,
car windows down and music blaring, mere moments after allegedly dumping
the 18-year-old's body, according to the filings.

Prosecutors allege Fujita made an
elaborate but failed attempt to cover up; police found bloody clothing
and sneakers in the Fujita home, in addition to a second pair of wet
sneakers and a sweatshirt with mud in the pockets.

One of the biggest points of argument
is whether or not the murder was premeditated; the prosecution argues
that he actively planned the killing and tried to cover it up
afterwards, while the defense argues that he snapped.

Murder trial: Nathanial Fujita and his ex girlfriend Lauren Astley both went to the same high school

Suspect: Fujita was found guilty of cutting his ex-girlfriend's throat, strangling her with a bungee cord and dumping her body in a swamp

Prosecutors believe Fujita took
Astley’s Jeep Grand Cherokee from his home and drove it to the Wayland
Town Beach parking lot, then dumped the keys in a storm drain.

Phone records show that as she
finished up her shift at a local store on the final day of her life,
Fujita and Lauren had a number of conversations and she told co-workers
that she was going to meet him after she left the mall.

Her parents reported her missing shortly after she failed to return home from work that day.